to the moon (and back)
by Khayr
Summary: alternate title; 5 plus 1 ways to say 'i love you'


a/n; if you've never written a 5+1 they're totally fun and you definitely gotta do it sometime aaaa

 _Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you to the moon and back."_

* * *

 **. . (1)**

Ozpin felt the subtle shift beside him before she even moved; he knew the General had well overstepped the bounds of polite conversation and while he was content to let it slide Glynda was more than ready to go toe to toe with him. It wasn't necessary, not here in the tense quiet of his office, but Ozpin knew she'd hardly drop it of her own volition. Ironwood was a constant annoyance in her life and to have him here insinuating they weren't _doing enough_ -

"Glynda," his voice was barely above a whisper, and the gentle brush of his fingers against her hand was _just_ enough for her to go still beside him. "Let it go."

"I'll be in touch." James seemed to have realized the headmaster was the only thing stopping Glynda from launching into a full scale argument and made his exit before she could escalate things further. It was cowardice for him spit and run but Ozpin had gotten used to it long ago.

The moment the elevator closed Ozpin stood from his chair, taking a second to collect Glynda's hands in his own. He brought them up to brush a chaste kiss against her knuckles. She said nothing in response, only winding her fingers into his and leaning her forehead into his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter what he _thinks_ I should do, because he's not in charge of this school," he cut in before she could speak, chuckling quietly and tucking her head under his chin, "That's why I have you."

 **. . (2)**

"I don't think I'll ever tire of this song."

"I'd hope not." Ozpin felt her smile as she spoke from where her face was tucked into the crook of his neck. "Considering they played this at our wedding."

He shifted the way he'd folded his arms around her, sliding his hand back into hers and swaying gently with the tune lilting through their living room. It was an old song- a long time favorite of theirs- and although it was nearing the end of an incredibly long day Ozpin was thrilled Glynda had indulged him for a dance.

"That feels like forever ago." There was a short pause as he leaned his head into hers, his fingers splaying across her back to hold her closer. "Although time is relative, I suppose."

"Speak for yourself." Glynda snorted at the thought, but he could still hear the smile in her tone.

Ozpin tilted his head just far enough to press a kiss against her temple, his eyes closing in quiet contentment. An evening without board meetings and phone calls was rare these days, and any stretch of time without any pressing duties for both of them was even harder to come by. Here in the dim lighting of the room- just the two of them- it only served to remind him why he loved her in the first place.

"If I had to do it over again," he commented idly, his voice barely above a whisper, "I'd marry you ten years sooner."

Her quiet hum in response was all he needed to hear.

 **. . (3)**

There was something incredibly unnerving about being surrounded by Grimm carcasses no matter how many times he'd seen it. They dripped with ichor even as they dissipated into nothing, their eyes open but unseeing in gleaming, angry red. Ozpin stood, leaning heavily against his cane as he did so. It wasn't pleasant. He could feel an angry bruise blooming against his ribs even now and his body ached from the force of the hit he had taken.

His eyes flickered across the clearing, following a smattering of blood and drag marks that disappeared in the direction Glynda had gone. Fear lanced through him- although preemptively- and he limped after whatever had made them. The huntress was nowhere to be seen, and the further he went the more anxiety spiked in his chest. Reason told him there was no need to worry, but he was bruised and shaken and for once he needed concrete proof that she was alright.

Ozpin was ready to call out for her as he broke the edge of the treeline, but he found her sitting along the riverbank washing congealed blood from her forearms. Aside from the assorted bits of gore spattering her clothing she looked unharmed, which was far better than he had fared.

"Glyn," he croaked hoarsely, nearly stumbling over himself as he closed the gap between them, "When I couldn't find you I thought-"

"I'm alright." Her hand brushed his leg when he finally reached her side, fingers curling into the fabric as he dropped down beside her. "You look terrible."

Ozpin said nothing else for a moment. His arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him despite the dull ache where he'd been hit in the side. With his muscles tensed he realized his hands were shaking; it was uncharacteristic of him to say the least, but for a few moments he had actually considered something could have happened to her. He almost felt foolish for worrying over her- she was more than capable of defending herself- but the relief seeping into his very bones was clouding out other rational train of thought.

"Next time we need a strategy, dear." Ozpin let out a soft, tired chuckle and wiped a smear of blood from her cheek with his thumb. "I'm afraid I'm getting too old for this."

 **. . (4)**

Ozpin breathed in deep, sucking air into his burning lungs before he finally let his head drop back against the mattress. He smiled- a satisfied, lazy grin- his hands skimming over Glynda's thighs even as she leaned down to kiss the corner of his mouth.

It'd been a taxing week even by his standards, and truth be told he'd barely even seen her most days with everything they had going on at Beacon. By the time Friday night had come around he'd been starved and desperate for the stability her company provided and- more importantly- her affection. Their evening at home had been relatively quiet, but by no means uneventful.

Glynda slid off of him with a shudder, dropping down beside him and lazily draping an arm over his chest. A soft huff escaped her throat and it was clear she was waiting out the pleasant boneless feeling in her limbs while she caught her breath. A long strand of hair was stuck to her cheek, still slick with sweat.

It didn't need saying- it was obvious to anyone- but he was taking no chances here. He pressed a kiss against her forehead, a barely audible ' _I love you_ ' ghosting under his breath.

 **. . (5)**

 _3:06 AM_.

It was far too late to even hope for rest tonight, although if they finished up soon at least the two of them might manage a quick nap at the very least. That alone was probably better than nothing when another day of classes and tedious meetings was waiting for them in just a few more hours.

Ozpin glanced across his desk to where Glynda was hunched over a pile of student applications, her scroll open and far too bright in the dim lighting of his office. She was exhausted if the slump of her shoulders was any indication, and he wanted nothing more than to release her and shoulder the rest of this on his own.

Not that she would go. He knew better than that.

He stood and stretched, crossing the room to grab one last cup of coffee. On his way past he snagged Glynda's empty cup for good measure. She mumbled a quiet thanks, barely looking up from her work.

It only took him a moment to split what was left between their two mugs, and when he returned and set hers back beside her he paused.

"Glyn," he said softly, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders, "You've been staring at the same transcript for the last ten minutes."

"I know." She took her glasses off to set them on his desk and rubbed her face as if it would kick her back into gear. "I know. We're almost done, I just need to-"

Ozpin dug his thumbs into the tense muscle of her shoulders, cutting her off mid-sentence with a soft chuckle. He continued to knead the knotted tissue even as she leaned back into his touch, humming softly. It wasn't fair to keep her here any longer tonight; she did a good enough job of overworking herself _without_ his help on any normal day.

"We can finish this in the morning," he murmured after a few minutes, leaning down to press a lingering kiss against her cheek, "Let's get some rest, dear."

 **. . (+1)**

She hadn't expected him to jolt awake beside her in the middle of the night- he did not often suffer from nightmares- but at quarter past two he was upright and wheezing for breath, his entire body quivering and slick with cold sweat.

"Hey, hey," Glynda rolled over, still half asleep as her palm smoothed over his chest. "You're alright, Oz, you're fine."

Ozpin dropped his face into his hands, taking a moment to steady himself with deep, shuddering breaths. He slid wordlessly down beside her, pressing his back to her chest with a soft sound.

Glynda could feel the faintest tremors in his frame even now. Rather than asking him to detail whatever had woken him she wrapped her arms around him, pushing his damp hair from his face and gently kissing the curve of his shoulder.

Minutes stretched by before she felt Ozpin begin to relax in her hold. His weight sunk back against her and even without seeing his face she could feel the exhaustion in his frame. Whatever had spooked him had certainly been worse than usual, but she hardly had the heart to ask him about it.

"Go back to sleep," she murmured against his skin, her fingers stroking a steady pattern to soothe him, "I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
